


Until the Sun Rises

by AValorousChoice, IronWoman359



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Violence, Family Member Death, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Guns, Knives, M/M, Minor Character Death, Past Abuse, Trauma, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:34:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23902396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AValorousChoice/pseuds/AValorousChoice, https://archiveofourown.org/users/IronWoman359/pseuds/IronWoman359
Summary: In a world where a virus has turned most of the population into mindless, flesh eating monsters, a rag-tag group of survivors must rely on each other to stay alive.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil & Creativity | Roman & Logic | Logan & Morality | Patton, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders & Deceit Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Thomas Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit Sanders, Dr. Emile Picani/Sleep | Remy Sanders
Comments: 10
Kudos: 99





	1. Virgil's Promise

**Author's Note:**

> To read extra scenes and oneshots in this universe, check out the Until the Sun Rises Extras series.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil, his mother, and his little brother Thomas have been living in the woods since a virus outbreak wiped out most of the population, including Virgil’s father. Life can be bleak, but they make the most of what they have. However, when Virgil’s world is turned upside down again, will he have what it takes to keep his little brother safe?

_3 months after initial outbreak_

* * *

“Mom, I found more berries!” 

Virgil looked up to see his eight-year-old brother holding out a handful of dark purple berries with a wide grin stretched across his face. 

“Thomas, put those down!” their mother Emma cried, rushing over to Thomas’s side. “Those are pokeweed berries, honey, you can’t eat those. They’ll make you very very sick if you eat them, okay?” 

“Oh…okay. Sorry.” 

Thomas’s lip wobbled a little, and Emma smiled, smoothing back Thomas’s hair. 

“It’s okay, sweetie, you didn’t know. They’re very pretty berries, aren’t they?” 

“Uh huh,” Thomas agreed, nodding. “That’s why I thought they were fine to eat.”

“There’s lots of things in the woods that look pretty, but not all of them are safe, okay? Pokeweed berries are never fine to eat, they make you really sick. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I do.” 

“Good boy.” Emma smiled, and pointed over his shoulder. “Now, see those white flowers behind you?”

“Uh huh.” 

“Those are Queen Anne’s lace flowers. And their roots are actually wild carrots! Why don’t you go over and dig some up for us, okay?” 

Thomas nodded eagerly and skipped over to the patch of flowers. Emma sighed in relief, and sat back on her heels, smiling fondly as she watched her son. 

“I thought pokeweed was okay sometimes?” Virgil asked, coming up behind her, causing her to jump a little. 

“Virgil! You startled me, who taught you to move so quietly?” 

Virgil grinned. 

“You did. When you insisted you take me paintballing for my sixteenth birthday.” 

“Fair’s fair,” Emma laughed. “What did you ask me just now?”

“Pokeweed,” Virgil repeated. “I thought you could eat it sometimes?”

“Ah, I see,” she said. “Well, that’s true, but never the berries, or the roots. You can eat the leaves sometimes, but only if the plant is young. If you see the berries start to form, even if they’re still green, you shouldn’t even try. And you should boil the leaves first too. If you’re not careful, you could get vomiting or diarrhea…and that’s something we want to avoid when we’re fighting for our lives, isn’t it?” 

She said it in an upbeat tone, but the sombering nature of their reality couldn’t help but settle over Virgil’s shoulders anyway. He tugged the sleeves of his hoodie down over his hands, gripping the soft fabric tightly. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Emma said softly, and Virgil shrugged. 

“S’not your fault. The whole world is kinda upsetting right now.” 

It had been three months since the outbreak, three months since Virgil’s father had died and he’d been on the run with his mom and brother, trying to stay alive. Fortunately, Emma was an avid camper and lover of the outdoors, so the three of them had been able to avoid towns for the most part. Sure, staying away from civilization meant that they were living off of mostly foraged plants and birds eggs, and it’d been ages since Virgil had taken a real shower, but those were small prices to pay for being able to mostly avoid the terminals. They tended to be in larger groups closer to towns and cities, so sticking to the country meant fewer encounters with the deadly infected creatures. 

_People,_ Virgil thought grimly. _They may be like monsters now, but they used to be people._

“I know it is, sweetheart,” his mother said, pulling him from his thoughts. “And it’s not fair, how fast you’ve had to grow up now.” Emma sighed, looking over to where Thomas was eagerly digging up roots for their supper. “You should be enjoying your summer, deciding on a college or a career…not this.”

Virgil shrugged. 

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do anyway.”

“I know that,” Emma said, giving him a sad smile. “But you had time to figure it out, to explore the world and decide what kind of man you’re going to become. Now that’s a luxury you don’t have anymore.”

Virgil looked down at his shoes, swallowing nervously. It wasn’t like his mom to be so openly melancholy; if anything, since they’d gone on the run she’d become even more upbeat and cheerful than usual. He had a feeling that she was trying to keep a brave face up for him and Thomas, but just because he knew it was partly an act didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate it. Some days he could almost pretend that this whole thing was just an extended summer camping trip, and then they’d go home and their dad would greet them at the door and they’d tell him all about it while sitting on the sofa in front of the TV. 

That illusion shattered every time they came across a terminal. 

“Virgil, listen to me,” Emma said, and there was an urgency to her voice that made Virgil look up. “Right now, the only thing we can be certain of, the only thing we can rely on, is each other. It’s my job to look out for the both of you, and it’s _your_ job to look out for Thomas. Protecting him has to be the top priority, alright?” 

“Yeah,” Virgil nodded, swallowing down the lump in his throat. “Yeah, I know, Mom. I…I won’t let anything happen to him.” 

“Oh, honey, come here,” she said, and Virgil let her wrap her arms around him. 

He felt exceptionally small in his mother’s embrace, but not the bad kind of small where he felt powerless and afraid. He felt safe, protected, shielded from all the horrors of the world. Her grip tightened, and Virgil realized with a start that she was trembling.

“Mom?” 

“I’m so proud of you,” she whispered. “You’re so strong, and so brave. Thomas is lucky to have you for a big brother.” 

Virgil didn’t feel strong most days, and he certainly didn’t feel brave. Most of the time he just felt scared; strength and bravery were attributes he’d be more likely to apply to his mother than himself. But the way she held onto him now, as though he’d disappear if she let go for one second made him realize that she was also scared. Scared for herself, but scared for him, too, and for Thomas; scared that she couldn’t keep them safe in this new world full of dangers. 

Virgil may not have had much faith in himself, but he had faith in his mother. And she was putting _her_ faith into _him_ , and he’d be damned if he let her down. 

“I won’t let anything happen to him, Mom,” he repeated, hugging her back tightly. “I promise.” 

* * *

Virgil’s heart was pounding so heavily he was sure it was going to burst out of his chest. Wouldn’t that just be his luck, he’d escape being eaten by terminals only to fall over dead from a heart attack. His lungs were on fire, and his legs threatened to buckle underneath him more and more with every step. But then Thomas whimpered in his ear, burying his face deeper into Virgil’s neck, and Virgil took a deep breath. He adjusted his grip on Thomas’s legs and pressed forward, his mother’s instructions echoing in his ears and urging him onward. 

The old cabin had seemed deserted enough, with no trace of the previous inhabitants anywhere, so they’d gotten a little too relaxed as they searched the building for supplies. But it turned out the area wasn’t as deserted as they thought, and the sound of his little brother screaming had brought Virgil barreling out of the bathroom and into the main room to see three terminals bearing down on his family. Virgil’s mother was gripping a tire iron like a baseball bat and standing between Thomas and the advancing creatures.

“Virgil,” she’d said in a low voice. “Take Thomas and get out of here, now.” 

Virgil hadn’t wanted to leave her, but the look in her eyes had left no room for argument, so he’d scooped his brother up piggyback style and fled towards the back door, wincing as he heard his mother let out a primal roar, followed by a sickening * _thwack*._

Virgil didn’t stop running until he stumbled back into the clearing where they’d made camp, collapsing to his knees and letting Thomas climb off his back. Every muscle in his body ached, and for a moment he just stayed on the ground, gasping as he fought to get his breath back. 

“Virgil?” Thomas asked, voice wobbling, and Virgil looked up to meet his brother’s tear-filled eyes. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah,” Virgil gasped, managing to give his brother a small smile. “I’m…I’m okay…just…just catching my breath.”

“Is Mom okay?” 

Virgil opened his mouth, then closed it again. Part of him wanted to lie, to promise that their mother would be just fine and would come and get them when the scary monsters were all gone. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it, and he met his brother’s gaze with a grim expression. 

“I…I don’t know, Thomas.”

Thomas fell silent, and for a moment neither of them moved, Virgil still gulping down breaths of air, trying to get his wind back. Then, so suddenly that it made Virgil jump, Thomas crawled forward and nestled himself into Virgil’s lap, wrapping his arms around his middle and laying his head on Virgil’s chest. 

“Your heart is beating really fast,” he said, and Virgil nodded, wrapping his arms around Thomas and drawing him closer. 

“Yeah, it is, buddy,” he said quietly. 

“You should count your breaths like Mom says to do. Okay?”

“Okay, yeah. That’s a good idea,” Virgil said, grateful for something that could distract them both. “How about we do it together? Remind me how it starts again?” 

Thomas scrunched up his nose as he thought. 

“You breathe in for four counts, right?”

“That’s right, good job. Let’s do that together, okay? In, two, three, four…” 

Virgil led them through the rest of the breathing exercise over and over again until Thomas drifted off to sleep, exhausted by the stress of the day. Virgil wanted nothing more than to join him in a nap, but he couldn’t sleep now, he had to stay up and keep watch, to see if their mother…or anything else, would approach the camp. 

He waited for what felt like hours, every sense straining for any sign that somebody was coming. Finally, just as the sun was starting to dip in the sky, he caught sight of someone slowly walking towards the campsite. His heart leapt as he recognized his mother’s silhouette, short but strong with hair pulled up into a high ponytail. 

“Thomas?” he murmured, giving his brother a small shake. “Wake up, Mom’s here.” 

“Hmm?” Thomas asked blearily, still half asleep. 

“Mom is…” Virgil trailed off as he looked back towards where their mom was walking. 

Something was wrong. 

_Oh no…oh god, no, not this, please not this…_

“What about Mom?” Thomas asked again rubbing at his eyes. 

_Oh god, I can’t do this, I can’t deal with this, please…_

Virgil’s grip tightened on Thomas, and he scrambled to his feet, backing away while keeping his eyes trained forward. 

“Virgil, what’s–” 

“Thomas, listen,” Virgil said urgently, setting his little brother down. “I need you to hug this tree here and close your eyes, okay? Whatever you do, whatever you hear, don’t open them until I tell you. Do you understand?”

“Virgil, is Mom–” 

“Do you _understand?_ ” Virgil asked desperately, and after a beat, Thomas nodded. “Good,” Virgil breathed, pressing his forehead against Thomas’s for a moment and taking a deep breath. “Close your eyes now,” he whispered, and he stood back up, turning back towards his mom. 

_No. That’s not Mom. Not anymore._

The woman that was lumbering towards him moved her limbs in broken, jerky motions, as though she was a poorly controlled marionette. Her eyes were bloodshot and empty, and saliva drooled out of her open mouth. A low moan escaped her lips as she came closer, and Virgil’s heart tightened in his chest. He’d seen terminals before, knew how they worked and how to kill them. But this…this was different. 

This was his _mother_ , and now she was a monster. 

Virgil scrambled towards the log at the edge of their campsite where they’d stashed their supplies. There wasn’t much there, just one change of clothes, a few handfuls of food, the last of their bandages, and…there. His mom’s .22 rifle. 

_“We only have one bullet left, Virgil. So until we can find some more ammo, we’re not going to hunt or travel with this anymore, okay? We’ll keep it here in case there’s an emergency.”_

Virgil’s hands shook as he pulled out the gun and checked to see that their last bullet was properly loaded. He’d never cared much for shooting, but after they’d made a run for the woods, his mom had insisted he learn to use it, teaching him how to hunt rabbits, possums, and other small animals that she’d then showed him how to clean and skin before cooking. 

He’d never shot a terminal before. 

Realistically, one of three things would happen. One, Virgil’s mother would attack them and he and Thomas would die, leaving their mother to feast on their remains. Two, Virgil’s mother would attack them and he and Thomas would turn terminal themselves, which basically boiled down to being brain dead while your body shuffled around in search of food. Or three…

Virgil raised the rifle up, tucking the butt to his shoulder and blinked away the tears that were forming in his eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, then he squeezed the trigger. 

The gunshot echoed through the forest, and though Virgil’s ears were instantly ringing, he could still hear the sound of Thomas’s scream from behind him. Everything seemed to slow down as Emma’s body dropped to the floor of their campsite, instantly going still. A blur flew past Virgil, and he just barely dropped the rifle in time to catch Thomas as he rushed towards their mother.

Thomas struggled desperately against Virgl’s grip, sobbing as he tried to get free and run towards her. Virgil just held him tighter, ignoring his own tears as he pulled Thomas away. 

“Thomas,” he choked out as Thomas kicked and struggled. “T-thomas, no, it’s not safe…th-they can still turn you when they’re dead if you’re not careful…”

Thomas just kept kicking and sobbing, and Virgil could do nothing but hold him back, even as his own tears fell. Eventually, Thomas went limp against him again, though his little body still quivered with sobs, making Virgil’s heart ache even more. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball with his baby brother and sleep, sleep until all the anguish bled away and left him empty. 

But a steely voice inside him insisted that no, he couldn’t do that. The terminals were drawn to loud noises, and the gunshot was sure to attract more of the creatures to this spot. They needed to move, and quickly, if they wanted to avoid any more confrontations with the creatures, and with only his hunting knife left to defend themselves with, Virgil would rather avoid running into more of the terminals. 

“Thomas,” he said, drawing away to look his brother in the eyes. “Thomas, look at me.” 

Thomas looked up, his eyes puffy and red with tears trailing down his cheeks, and Virgil had to resist pulling him close for another hug. There would be time for grief later. 

“I need you to go to the log and gather up all our things, okay? Can you do that for me?” 

“M-mo…M-mom–” Thomas choked out, and Virgil cupped the back of his head, pressing their foreheads together. 

“I know, Thomas, I know,” he said, more tears pooling in his eyes. “I am so, _so_ sorry, but it’s not safe for us here. More of them will be coming, and Mom would want us to get far, far away so that we can be safe. Okay?” 

Thomas sniffled, but nodded, and Virgil smiled at him through his tears. 

“There’s a brave boy. Now go gather up our things, we need to move.” 

Thomas stumbled over to the log, and Virgil took a deep breath before turning towards his mother’s body in the clearing. His stomach churned as he approached, and he swallowed down the bile that rose in his throat. It wasn’t pretty, but he knew what he had to do. 

Virgil pointedly kept his gaze away from his mother’s face and carefully knelt down, sliding the straps of her knapsack off her shoulders. He took care not to touch anywhere near her now foam filled mouth, remembering what the news reports had said about the creatures when the outbreak had first occurred…back when they were still running news reports. 

_The virus is transmitted via bodily fluids; even if the infected subject is deceased, their corpse may still infect others if their blood or saliva comes into contact with open wounds._

Virgil tugged the bag out from under her, stepping away as she fell back against the ground. A quick rifle through its contents revealed most of the supplies that they’d gathered from the cabin, and his heart twisted again in his chest. By the looks of things, she’d managed to fight off the three terminals from the cabin and had stayed herself long enough to gather up their supplies and head back towards their camp. She probably hadn’t even realized she’d been infected until it was too late. 

Virgil took one last look at his mother’s body, and paused as he saw a glint of gold around her neck. He looked over his shoulder to where Thomas was packing up their bag, then bent down and quickly pulled a heart-shaped locket from around his mother’s neck. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered again, allowing himself one brief look at her face. “I’ll look after him, Mom, I promise.” 

He slipped the locket into his pocket, then turned and walked over to Thomas. 

“Hey, buddy. Got everything?” 

Thomas looked up at him and nodded solemnly. 

“Good. It’s time for us to leave then, okay?” 

Thomas looked over at their mother one last time, then back up at Virgil. 

“Can you carry me?” he asked. 

Virgil could already feel exhaustion creeping over him, and his limbs still ached from their earlier escape, but right now? There was no way he could say no to his little brother. 

“Sure, buddy. I’ll need you to carry the backpack though, okay?” 

Thomas nodded, and after Virgil had helped slide it over his shoulders, Thomas climbed up and linked his arms around Virgil’s neck. Virgil gripped Thomas’s legs and stood up with a grunt, taking a moment to readjust his hold now that he was standing. 

“Ready?” he asked, and he felt Thomas turn his head to look behind them again. His chest ached, and he reached up and gave Thomas’s hands a squeeze. 

“Yeah,” Thomas said eventually, laying his cheek against Virgil’s back. 

“Okay,” Virgil murmured, grabbing hold of Thomas’s legs again and stepping away from their campsite, one thought repeating over and over again in his mind as he walked. 

_I’ll keep you safe, Thomas. I promise._

* * *

Keeping an eight-year-old alive and safe in the woods during the apocalypse turned out to be harder than Virgil had anticipated, and it wasn’t long before he was completely desperate. He’d tried to replicate the traps his mother had set, and tried to fish using makeshift spears or reels, but he was either doing something wrong or had horrible luck, because the traps remained empty, and he was unable to catch more than one or two tiny fish per attempt. It wasn’t long before their meager food supplies ran out, and eating roots and leaves could only satisfy a growing boy for so long. Virgil was out of options. 

So he found himself here, gripping Thomas’s hand and standing on the outskirts of a small town at the edge of the woods. 

For most of their time living wild with their mother, they’d avoided towns. Areas that were once populated may have meant more supplies, but they also meant more chances of running into terminals, and Emma had wanted to avoid that at all costs, choosing instead to rely on her history of camping rough with her family as a child for survival. 

But Virgil simply wasn’t good enough to scrounge up enough to feed the two of them from the forest alone, so here they were. 

“Okay, buddy, remember what we’re looking for?” he asked, looking down at Thomas. 

“Canned food, clean clothes, blankets, and medicine,” Thomas rattled off, and Virgil smiled. 

“Yeah, that’s right,” he said. “Now, anything you find, you bring to me first to check the expiration date first, okay? We don’t want you eating something and getting sick.”

“I can read the dates myself, you know,” Thomas muttered, kicking at the pavement. “I’m not a baby.” 

“Right, of course,” Virgil agreed with a smirk. “You’re not a baby, you’re just a pipsqueak.” 

He reached down to ruffle Thomas’s hair, but his brother ducked away. 

“I am _not!_ ” he huffed, glaring up at Virgil, and Virgil held his hands up in surrender. 

“Okay, okay, whatever you say. Just let me look at the food before eating it anyhow, okay?” 

“ _Fine_ ,” Thomas grumbled, and Virgil held back a sigh. 

The two of them had been on their own for just about three weeks now, and while some days were perfectly fine, other days there was an unmistakable tension between the two. It was worse when they were hungry, and with nothing but flower roots to eat for the past three days, it was fair to say they were pretty hungry now. 

“Thomas?” Virgil said, kneeling down so that he was eye level with his brother. “Can you look at me?” 

Thomas glanced over at him, and Virgil offered up a small smile. 

“I’m sorry if I seem too…overbearing. You know why that is, don’t you?” 

Thomas shrugged, and Virgil placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s because I want to make sure that nothing bad happens to you. I know I’m not always the best big brother to have, but all we’ve got is each other now. So if I…make some mistakes along the way, just know it’s because I want to keep you safe, okay?” 

Virgil was expecting Thomas to nod and move on, so he grunted in surprise when instead Thomas threw his arms around Virgil’s neck in a suffocating hug. 

“Okay,” he whispered, and Virgil didn’t care that he could barely breathe, he hugged his brother back just as tightly. “You were wrong about something though,” Thomas added, his breath tickling Virgil’s ear as he spoke. 

“Oh? What’s that, buddy?”

“You’re the _very_ best big brother to have,” Thomas mumbled into Virgil’s shoulder, and suddenly Virgil was blinking back tears. 

“Thanks, Thomas,” he said, squeezing his eyes shut and pulling Thomas closer. 

He was about to let go when suddenly Thomas gasped, his whole body tensing up. Virgil’s eyes flew open in an instant and he stood up on instinct, gathering Thomas into his arms as he did so. There, barely a hundred feet away ambling into the street from behind one of the houses, were two terminals. It didn’t seem like they’d noticed the two brothers just yet, but searching the houses on this street had just become last on Virgil’s list of things to try that day. 

“Don’t make a sound,” he breathed in Thomas’s ear as he slowly stepped away. 

He tried to turn back the way they’d come, but froze as he saw three more staggering towards them from that direction. He spun around, his eyes scanning the street, and his heart slowly sank into his stomach. There was no way out of this neighborhood that wasn’t blocked off by private fencing or didn’t involve going past the growing number of terminals. 

Well. 

Not for _him_ anyway. 

“Thomas?” he said quietly. “Listen very carefully, okay?” 

Thomas nodded, his cheek brushing against Virgil’s, and Virgil held his breath for seven seconds. 

“I’m going to put you down,” he said slowly. “Then when I tell you, you’re going to run straight down the street back the way we came, do you understand?” 

“Virgil?” Thomas asked, and Virgil pried him off his neck, setting him on the ground and staring at him intently. 

“Do you _understand_?” he asked, and Thomas’s wide eyes filled with tears, but he nodded. “Good,” Virgil whispered, squeezing Thomas’s hand. 

The terminals were ambling closer now, and he straightened up. He allowed himself one more squeeze of Thomas’s hand, then he let go and opened his mouth to scream. 

All of a sudden there was a * _thwap_!* sound that came from between the houses, and then the terminal closest to Virgil and Thomas had an arrowhead sticking out between its eyes. The creature fell forward and Virgil froze, too stunned to move. 

“Woo hooooooo!” a voice yelled from the direction the arrow had flown from, and the terminals turned towards the new source of sound. “Perfect headshot!” 

“Virgil?” Thomas asked, and Virgil dropped to the ground again, gathering his arms around Thomas and pulling him close. 

Another arrow flew into a nearby terminal’s chest, accompanied by more cheers, then a wild looking man in a dirty green t-shirt with a white streak in his hair burst out onto the street, a machete gripped in his hand. 

Virgil barely had time to wonder where on earth that maniac had gotten a _machete_ before he was charging the terminals with it, squealing with delight every time his blade connected with a creature’s neck or head. It wasn’t long before every last one of them was no more than a bleeding corpse on the ground. 

“Coast is clear!” he called over his shoulder, wiping his blade off on his already filthy pants. “Oh, no…wait,” he added as his gaze found Virgil and Thomas crouching beside a house. “Looks like we’ve got a live one, Dee!”

Another man emerged from across the road, a yellow beanie on his head and a bow and quiver strapped to his back, though Virgil’s eyes were first drawn to the large burn scar covering the right side of his face. 

He approached calmly, ignoring the way Virgil scrambled to his feet and shoved Thomas behind him. He stared at the two of them for a moment, at Virgil’s narrowed eyes and Thomas’s hand clutching at Virgil’s leg before turning to his companion. 

“Remus, put your blade away, you’re scaring them.” 

The wild man, Remus, apparently, rolled his eyes but slid the machete into a sheath on his back and gave the pair of brothers a toothy grin. 

“Whoopsy! Wouldn’t want to give off the wrong impression. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you, as long as you’re not a terminal or about to turn terminal or about to steal our stuff or hurt our friends or just be a dick in general!” 

“Forgive Remus, that’s just how he greets new people,” the man with the burn said, rolling his eyes in a fond sort of way. “He really does mean no harm…as long as you don’t fall into any of the aforementioned categories.” He raised an eyebrow at the pair. “ _Do_ you fall into any of those categories?” 

“We’re not thieves, if that’s what you mean,” Virgil growled, and the man raised his hands. 

“No need for the hostility, how about a ‘thank you for saving me and my…’” he raised a questioning eyebrow at Thomas, and after another moment of silence, Virgil mumbled,

“Brother. I’m Virgil, and this is my brother.”

“I see,” the man said, then he surprised Virgil by squatting down so he was at Thomas’s eye level. 

“What’s your name, little man?” 

Thomas looked up at Virgil, who placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a small nod. 

“Thomas,” he whispered, and the man smiled. 

“Thomas? That’s a wonderful name. How old are you?” 

“Eight,” Thomas said, then he puffed out his chest a little. “Almost nine.” 

“Almost nine, my my! So grown up!” he smiled, then glanced up at Virgil. “And what about big brother?” he asked, standing up.

Virgil frowned, and pulled Thomas a little closer to his side. 

“What’s it to you?” he growled, and the man quirked an eyebrow. 

“Just wondering if big brother is grown up enough to take care of an almost nine-year-old all by himself.” 

Virgil should have found the question insulting, but oddly enough, meeting the stranger’s eyes, Virgil didn’t sense any malice from him. 

“I’m eighteen,” he admitted quietly, and the man nodded. 

“Got anyone else in your party?” he asked, and Virgil clenched his fist at his side. 

“No,” he said, forcing himself to keep his eyes dry. “Wouldn’t be trying to scavenge alone with an eight-year-old if I did.” 

“Almost nine!” Thomas insisted, tugging on Virgil’s pants, and Virgil allowed a small smile to pull at his lips. 

“Okay buddy, almost nine,” he said quietly. 

“Right,” the man said, a smile flitting across his face as he looked down at Thomas. “Well, if scavenging alone on the streets with an _almost-nine-year-old_ is getting a bit much to handle…I may have somewhere you two could stay for awhile.” 

“You’re offering them a space at Eden?” Remus asked behind them, shaking his head. “Wade’s not gonna like that much, Dee.” 

“Fuck Wade,” the burned man grumbled. “If he doesn’t like it, he can leave and they can take his bed. They’re just kids, Remus.” 

“Hey, I didn’t say _I_ had a problem with it,” Remus said shrugging. “And I’ll take any opportunity to fuck Wade. Not the fun kind of fucking, mind you, the violent kind.” 

“Virgil, they said a bad word,” Thomas whispered, tugging on Virgil’s pants again, and Virgil didn’t know whether to attempt scolding the strangers or to laugh. 

“Seriously, though,” the man called Dee said, turning back to Virgil. “We have a place out in the woods. Nice and secluded, hardly any terminals around, and plenty of people to fight them off in case a few do show up. We don’t have much, but we can offer you a warm bed and a roof over your head.” 

It sounded tempting, Virgil had to admit. He could barely remember what it felt like to sleep under a roof, let alone in a bed, but he was skeptical. 

“What’s the catch?” he asked. “What do you have to gain by taking two strangers in?”

Dee shrugged. 

“We’re not a charity, if that’s what you mean. You’ll be expected to pull your weight around the place. But if you’re up for that, then you’re welcome to join.” 

Virgil thought it over, but it didn’t take him long to come to a decision, really. He couldn’t ensure Thomas would be safe and fed every day if he stayed on his own. If there was even a chance that what these men were saying was true, Virgil would have to take it. He leaned forward, fixing Dee with a glare.

“Anything happens to him and I’ll kill you, you got that?” he asked in a low enough voice that Thomas didn’t hear. 

Dee grinned, not unkindly. 

“Got it.” 

“Okay.” Virgil took a deep breath, then looked down at Thomas. “What do you say buddy, do you want to go somewhere safe with these, uh, gentlemen?”

Thomas seemed to consider it, staring up at Remus and Dee, then his stomach growled audibly. 

“You have food?” he asked, and Dee chuckled. 

“Yes little man, we have lots of food.”

“I wanna go then,” Thomas said, and Virgil smiled. 

“Okay then,” he said, holding out a hand to Dee, who shook it. “We’re in.” 

“Yay, new friends!” Remus said cheerily, bouncing on his heels. “This is gonna be fun, it’s been way too long since anyone interesting joined the camp, it’s no fun having only stinky _Wade_ to share patrols with…” 

Remus continued rambling on, about what exactly Virgil wasn’t sure, but he didn’t really care. He looked down at Thomas’s hand in his, then up at Dee who was watching the two of them with an unreadable expression, though it morphed into a smile when he saw Thomas looking up at him. 

_“Thank you,”_ Virgil mouthed at Dee, and the man nodded back. 

Virgil couldn’t say exactly what he was getting himself into with these two, but he hoped that whatever it was, it would mean he could keep his promise. He slipped his free hand into his pocket, fingering his mother’s locket. 

_I’ll keep him safe, Mom. No matter what._


	2. Patton's Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isolated on a farm, Patton has been survivng the apocalypse as best he can. The loneliness is hard to deal with sometimes, but at least he has his sister by his side. But not even their remote farm is completely safe from the terminal hordes. On the brink of losing everything, Patton meets a group of other survivors for the first time and must come to terms with the new reality he’s facing.

_3 years after initial outbreak_

* * *

The day began like any other. Patton got up early, splashed some water on his face, and pulled his straw hat over his eyes. He let the chickens out for the day, scattered a handful of seed in their yard and emptied their egg boxes, then turned his attention to the garden. The sun beat down on him as he worked, but the brim of his hat helped keep him cool, and he hummed a gentle melody as he pulled away sprouts of weeds and spread compost around the vegetables. Most of the morning had passed when a sound coming from the field beside him caused him to look up from his work.

He straightened when he saw a single silhouette moving slowly towards the farm.

He glanced at the axe that he kept within reach at all times, but he made no effort to grab it. The figure was moving slowly; Patton had time to finish his chores before it got here.

Even though he had seen enough terminals to know that the person ambling towards him was not of the living variety, it never stopped him from wishing it was. 

It has been so long since he heard anything from the outside world that Patton wasn’t sure anything even existed besides his farm anymore. He certainly prayed there were still other humans out there, but he was beginning to feel as though he would be the last man standing. 

Patton was not somebody who enjoyed isolation, and dwelling on how lonely things had become these days just tended to upset him, so he pushed the thoughts out of his head and grabbed the axe.

He strode over to the fence and unlatched the gate, studying the terminal as it came closer. This one had been a young male, and only recently turned, judging by the lack of decomposition he could see. As disgusting as it was to think about, this terminal wasn’t literally falling to pieces as it approached, so it couldn’t have been more than a day or so since he’d changed. 

If he was being honest, terminals made Patton sad to look at, and he’d just as soon not deal with them at all, but he felt he owed it to them. They had once been people with lives, jobs, families, and friends, and all that could not be brushed aside or forgotten because of what they had become. 

Patton spent a few moments wondering what kind of life this man might have lead, perhaps he’d had a girlfriend or a boyfriend? Had he been a good person or a bad person? Patton hoped the former. 

“Good morning,” Patton said cheerfully as the terminal finally stumbled through the gate. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

Morgan hated when he spoke to them, she said that it freaked her out, but it gave Patton a sense of normalcy. Patton tried not to view them as monsters, it wasn’t their fault that they’d become what they were. Besides, it had been so long since he had met another living person besides his sister that the solitude was starting to settle in like a weight on his shoulders. Treating them as if nothing had changed was as much for his own sake as it was for theirs. Even if they didn’t know what was going on, Patton did. He could at least show them a little respect before ending it all permanently.

“Have you travelled far?” Patton asked. “We haven’t really seen anybody out here for some time.” 

The creature groaned, moving closer with outstretched arms, and Patton took several steps backwards. He wondered, not for the first time, if they could actually see or if they were just drawn to something the living had that the dead didn’t, like a smell or some kind of hormone. 

“I’m sorry this happened to you,” Patton said softly. “Nobody deserves this.” He paused, raising the axe. It never brought him joy to bring it down. “I hope your family is somewhere safe... I hope wherever you end up is better than this.” 

Patton took a deep breath, steeled himself, and swung the axe, flinching when it collided with the terminal’s skull. 

No matter how many times he ended a terminal, Patton would never get used to it; it made him feel like a murderer. He knew that technically, they were already dead, but it didn’t stop him from feeling icky.

He exhaled slowly, pulling the axe free and wiping off the blood as the body dropped to the ground. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. 

Patton reached down and closed the man’s eyes and paused to give the man a moment of respect. He would give the young man a proper burial later, but for now he had to check on Morgan.

He cleaned himself off and headed into the house, reaching into his pocket for the key to Morgan’s room. He knocked lightly on the door before he spoke. 

“Morgan? It’s Patton,” he said, though he didn’t know why he bothered clarifying. It wasn’t like there was anyone else that it could be.

“I’m still me.” Her reply came back soft and weak, but it was still her, and that was enough for him.

Patton slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open gently. His sister was laying down on her bed, head propped by several pillows. She looked paler than she had last night, and Patton resisted the urge to stare at the gauze poking out from beneath the collar of her nightgown.

“Hey, kiddo,” Patton said softly. “How do you feel?” 

A healthy Morgan would have rolled her eyes and said, “kiddo? I’m five years older than you!” but the Morgan before him now only shook her head and said, “I saw you kill that one.”

Patton frowned and sat down on the edge of the bed. “I thought I told you to stay away from the windows,” he said firmly. 

“More of them are finding their way here,” Morgan said, ignoring his comment. “Every day we’re getting at least one or two, it’s not as secluded here as it used to be. It’s kept us safe awhile but it won’t be long before something really big happens. Maybe next time it will be the living.”

“This is exactly why I wanted you to stay in bed,” Patton told her. “You’ll stress yourself out, you need to rest.”

“It’s a little late for that,” Morgan laughed bitterly. “What good will rest do me anyway? I’ll be getting plenty of it soon enough.”

Patton winced at her words and she grabbed his hand, looking sheepish. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that,” she whispered.

“Yes, you did,” Patton said, “but it’s okay.”

“It isn’t,” Morgan protested. “None of this is. You’re going to be on your own, and it’s not fair. No Mom or Dad, no Jason, no-” she broke off, tears in her eyes. “I’m your big sister, I should be here to keep you safe.”

Her breathing was starting to become erratic, and Patton could see the fear rising in her eyes. He couldn’t blame her, he was scared too.

Morgan was all he had had for quite some time now. Their parents and older brother Jason had died in the early days of the outbreak, and it had been the two of them on their farm ever since. At first they had managed, living off the land like their mom and dad had taught them to, but eventually, as more and more people on the outside died, the number of terminals increased. Attacks by the creatures on the farm went up from one every month or so to several a week, until finally one had gotten to Morgan. 

Patton didn’t dare look at the deep gash on her shoulder, so he kept his gaze on her face, stroking her hair and trying to alleviate some of her fear. 

“Let me take care of you for once, okay?” he said. “You and Jason protected me for my entire life, let me return the favour.”

“But it’s just not fair.”

Patton couldn’t help but agree with her, but he didn’t want her to worry; she had enough to focus on right now. 

“You’re warm,” he told her instead, pressing his hand against her forehead. 

“You’re changing the subject,” she retorted. He chuckled and handed her a glass of water that was beside her bed. 

“Drink,” he instructed her. 

There was really no need for her to do that, it wouldn’t help at all, but it made him feel like he was helping, and she wanted to keep him happy, so she obliged.

“You just want me to stop talking,” she joked as she finished the last of the water.

Patton opened his mouth to insist that was not true, if anything he wanted her to keep talking, but something caught his eye and he leapt to his feet. 

“Patton?” Morgan asked as he bolted over to the window. “What is it?” 

Patton pressed his face against the glass in utter disbelief. There was no way he was seeing this, it had to be a dream or a hallucination.

“Patton!” Morgan snapped. “What’s going on?” 

“People,” Patton murmured.

“Huh?”

Patton pulled back from the glass, staring at her in shock. “There are people outside.” 

“What?”

Patton ignored her, opting instead to stare in disbelief.

There were actual living, breathing, people coming towards the farmhouse. Patton could tell the difference immediately; the figures coming towards him didn’t lurch or stumble. They moved with clarity and precision, and what’s more, they were clearly talking to each other, pointing at the farmhouse as they approached. There were four of them– no, wait. Five, there were five real, living people on his farm. 

And one of them was a child. 

Patton did a double take. No, that was definitely a child, a young boy by the looks of it, who looked to be around ten or eleven years old. A small bow and a quiver of arrows was strapped to his back, and he was holding hands with one of the others. Patton had to admit, he was impressed that a kid had managed to survive this long. 

“Patton?”

Patton glanced back at his sister, whose body was so frail now that she could no longer leave her bed for more than a few minutes, and something inside him steeled. 

“Wait here,” he said, quickly pressing a kiss to her cheek and slipping out of her room before she had a chance to protest. 

Patton locked Morgan’s door before heading out the back door into the garden. He stood still for a moment, watching the group advance, then his fingers wrapped around the handle of his axe and he walked out into view. 

“Good morning,” Patton called, catching the party’s attention immediately. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?” 

The five strangers immediately tensed, and one man swung a shotgun into view, pointing it squarely at Patton’s head. 

“Don’t take another step!” he snarled, and Patton obligingly stood still, raising his empty hand up in a peaceful gesture.

“Have you travelled far?” he continued, as though he wasn’t being actively threatened. “We haven’t really seen anybody out here for some time.” 

“What’s it to you?” the man with the gun growled, but he seemed to be the only one who was actually angry. 

“Wade, calm down,” hissed the one at the back holding the child’s hand, and the man with the gun (Wade, Patton presumed) rolled his eyes. 

“Last I checked, you’re not the leader of this raiding party, Sanders.” 

“Last I checked, neither are you,” a woman standing next to Wade said cooly. “You there!” she called to Patton. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

“I’m Patton,” he said, and he smiled wryly. “And this is my farm, so I feel like I should be asking _you_ what _you’re_ doing here.” 

For a moment, a tense silence hung in the air, and Patton held his breath. Then all of a sudden, the fourth adult in the party threw his head back and let out a loud laugh. The shorter man in the back (Sanders was his name?) flinched, but then rolled his eyes fondly as the laughter continued. 

“I like this one,” the laughing man said, pointing towards Patton, an action that probably would have looked less unhinged without the machete gripped in his hand. “He’s funny.”

“You think everyone’s funny,” Wade grumbled, lowering his gun with a huff. 

“That is not true, YOU have never said anything funny in your _LIFE._ ” 

“ANYWAY,” the woman said, holding up a hand before either of the men could retaliate. “I’m Lauren. The one with the blade is Remus, the one with the attitude is Wade, and that’s Virgil with his brother Thomas.” 

She gestured over her shoulder, and the shorter man let go of his little brother’s hand to throw Patton a two-fingered salute. 

“Nice to meet you folks,” Patton said with a smile. “What brings you out this way?” 

“What part of ‘raiding party’ didn’t you get?” Wade snarled, and Patton decided he didn’t much like this man. 

Still though, looking at the ragtag group of survivors, Patton felt something stir inside his chest. He glanced behind him at his family’s two-story farmhouse, his eyes lingering on the window of Morgan’s bedroom, before turning back to the group, a perfect smile sliding into place. 

“Well, don’t just dilly dally in the garden, come on in!”

He walked back towards the house, half expecting to find a bullet between his shoulder blades the moment his back was turned, but he reached the kitchen door without incident, shooting the group of scavengers another smile when he saw they hadn’t followed him. 

“Well? I assume you’re here because you want supplies, right? You can’t very well get them from out there.” 

The group exchanged looks, but eventually Lauren muttered something to them and they began filing into Patton’s kitchen one by one. 

“Okie dokie!” Patton said cheerfully, leaning his axe against the door once everyone was inside. “It’s been awhile since I cooked for this many people, but I don’t think I’ll have lost my touch just yet. None of you have any food allergies, do you?” 

The group was silent, exchanging furtive glances with each other, and Patton sighed. 

“If you do, you need to tell me, I don’t want to accidentally poison anyone here.” 

After waiting until each of the raiders shook their heads, Patton nodded brightly and turned, throwing all his energy into preparing a meal. He had some fresh bread left, and plenty of eggs thanks to the chickens, and before too long, he had a decent batch of breakfast food cooking.

“Now, food of course is important,” he said as he dished out plates of scrambled eggs with peppers and onions and slices of toast. “But what other sorts of supplies were you hoping on finding? I may be able to help out with some of them.” 

Patton sat down with his own plate, sweeping his eyes around the room. His guests were an awfully quiet bunch...that, or they were still reeling from finding someone who was actually alive out here, which he couldn’t really blame them for. He could empathize with that feeling, after all. He noticed too that no one had touched their food yet, and Wade in particular was looking down at his plate with what could only be described as a glare. 

Patton rolled his eyes and picked up his own fork, then took a massive bite of eggs, raising an eyebrow as he did so. Remus cackled, then cheerfully began shoveling his own food into his mouth. 

“I’m telling you, I like this kid,” he said around a mouthful of egg, and one by one, the others began to eat as well.

“We’re looking for anything that’s useful, really,” the leader, Lauren, said. “Food, blankets, medical supplies, weapons...anything we can use.” 

Patton nodded as he took another bite. 

“Well, we’ve been doing alright for ourselves out here. I can’t offer much, but what I do have you’re welcome to take what you need from.” 

“I don’t wanna sound rude,” Wade said, and Remus rolled his eyes. 

“Since when?” he scoffed, and Wade glared at him. 

_“But,_ why would you give up your resources to us? What’s in it for you? What’s the catch?” 

“Why does there have to be something in it for me?” Patton asked, frowning. “Has everyone thrown kindness and hospitality out the window since the world came to an end?” 

“I’m struggling to understand how you’ve survived this long if you still believe people care about hospitality in days like these,” Wade shot back. 

Patton raised an eyebrow. 

“And I’m struggling to understand how, if the world is as cruel as you seem to think, nobody has killed you yet.” 

Remus snorted so hard that he choked on his toast, and the boy, Thomas, hid a giggle behind his hand. Wade’s face was turning into quite an amusing shade of red, and Patton allowed himself to enjoy it for a moment before he spoke again. 

“There’s nothing in it for me,” he said, looking down at his plate and pushing some food around. “But you’re right about one thing...there is a catch.” 

“Oh really?” Lauren asked, narrowing her eyes and leaning forward. 

“You can have anything you need,” Patton explained. “Take whatever you want from the house, the barn, the garden, I don’t care.” 

“And the catch?” Lauren prompted, and Patton looked up, meeting her eyes. 

“You can’t have it until my sister is gone.” 

* * *

Patton plucked a petal from the flower he held between his fingers, and watched as it fluttered down to the ground, lying white against the grass. One of the chickens at his feet perked up its head and pecked at the petal curiously, but dropped it upon realizing that it was not the tasty morsel it’d been hoping for. Patton’s eyes were trained on the ground, watching the chickens peck the ground at the edge of his garden beds, so he didn’t notice the other man until his feet were right in front of him. 

“Patton?” 

Patton jumped, his eyes flying up and his hand moving towards where his axe sat beside him but he relaxed when he saw a pair of gray eyes peering down at him from beneath a swathe of dark bangs. 

“Virgil! Goodness, kiddo, you gave me quite the fright there!” 

“Sorry,” Virgil said, leaning back on his heels sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I just...I can go, if you want.” 

Patton shook his head quickly and smiled up at Virgil. 

“I don’t mind the company.” 

Virgil hesitated for another moment, then sat down on the ground next to Patton, drawing his legs underneath him.

“Are y’all finding what you need in the barn so far?” Patton asked, and Virgil nodded. 

“There’s a lot there that will really help us out...thank you for letting us take it.” 

“Well, I won’t have much use for most of it anymore,” Patton said, wrapping his arms around himself. “You may as well take it.” 

“I guess so…” Virgil said, glancing over at Patton. There was a beat of silence, and then…

“So, you and your sister have been here together this whole time?” 

Patton’s heart skipped a beat.

“Pretty much,” he whispered, then cleared his throat to continue. “Our parents...they died in the initial outbreak. The last thing we heard from them was a voicemail telling us not to leave the farm, and that they’d be home soon. But…” he trailed off, and Virgil grimaced. 

“They didn’t ever make it back?” he finished quietly, and Patton nodded, blinking quickly to try and stop tears from welling up in his eyes.

“Thomas and I lost our parents too.” Virgil fiddled with the edge of his sleeves as he spoke, and he turned to Patton with a grim look. “Our dad when things first went to shit, and our mom a few months later. She um...” he clenched his fists and let out a shuddering breath. “She got...turned. ” 

Patton winced, then looked over at Virgil, taking in the baggy clothes and the dark bags stamped beneath his eyes. 

“It’s still really bad out there, huh?” he asked quietly, looking out into the field that stretched out past his garden until it met the woods. 

Virgil hummed in agreement. 

“It’s not great, no.”

“How old was Thomas? When...when you lost your mom?”

“Eight,” Virgil whispered, and Patton’s eyes widened. 

“Oh my goodness, poor kiddo...so he’s what, eleven now?”

“He turns twelve next month,” Virgil said, and Patton shook his head. 

“And you’ve raised him all by yourself this whole time? That’s incredible.” 

“I’ve had a little help since settling in Eden, but yeah, for the most part,” Virgil agreed. “Sometimes...well, a lot of times, actually, I think I’m screwing everything up, but I’d do anything for him. He’s all I have left, you know?” 

Patton swallowed a lump in his throat. 

“Yeah,” he whispered. “I know.” 

A heavy silence hung in the space between them, and Virgil fiddled with the edge of his sleeves before glancing up at Patton. 

“If it’s okay for me to ask,” Virgil said slowly, and Patton looked over at him. “How long ago did your sister...um…” 

“When did she get bitten?” Patton asked, his voice sharp, and Virgil shrank back. 

“I’m sorry, if you don’t want to talk about it, I-” 

“No, it’s fine,” Patton said, deflating almost instantly. He looked up at the farmhouse, his eyes lingering on Morgan’s window before he turned back to Virgil. “It was...it was three days ago. She didn’t actually get bitten, it’s just a scratch from one of them, but that’s still enough to transmit the...virus, disease, whatever it is, I don’t know.” 

“Will she still turn from that?” Virgil asked, and Patton nodded. 

“It...it takes a few days, but from what I can tell, the infection spreads slowly from the wound and just...shuts the body down. Then it...you know.” 

Virgil grimaced. 

“Yeah. But wait...if you’ve been here on the farm this whole time, then how are you so sure what’s happening to her? I’ve been going on scavenging trips out in the wild for three years now, and I’ve never seen anything like what’s happening to your sister.” 

“I’m sure,” Patton said cooly. “Since that’s how my brother died.” 

“Oh, shit, Patton, I didn’t mean-” 

“No, no, it’s okay,” Patton said. “You didn’t know, it’s not your fault.” He laughed wetly, the words unable to stop tumbling from his mouth now that he’d started. “We didn’t even realize ourselves at first. I mean, we knew he’d gotten injured in the attack, but we just wrapped up his wound and continued on like normal, why wouldn’t we, right? But he just kept getting sicker and sicker, and we didn’t have any medical supplies, we didn’t know what to do, and all the news said in the beginning was that the bites would turn you, and this was a cut, but then a few days later Jason wasn’t _Jason_ anymore, and he...h-he…” 

Patton choked on a sob, and buried his face in his hands. Part of him was ashamed to be crying in front of what was essentially a stranger to him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He’d been trying so hard to stay strong for Morgan, to show her that she wasn’t alone and that he wasn’t scared, but he _was_ , he was so _so_ scared, and he _hated_ it. 

A warm hand touched Patton’s back, and he flinched. 

Virgil drew his hand away as though it had been burned, the beginnings of an apology halfway out of his mouth before Patton cut him off by throwing himself into Virgil’s arms. Virgil caught him easily, one hand gently rubbing up and down his back, and Patton buried his face in Virgil’s chest. 

He wasn’t sure how long he cried, but eventually, his body declared that it was out of tears and he pulled away, looking up at Virgil sheepishly. 

“I...I’m sorry,” he began, but Virgil just took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. 

“Don’t be,” he said quietly, and Patton nodded. 

“I...I should probably go check on Morgan,” he said, climbing shakily to his feet, and Virgil followed suit, his eyes turning serious. 

“Do you want me to go with you?” he asked, but Patton shook his head. 

“I appreciate it...but no. Go join your friends and finish gathering what you need...I’ll come and get you when…when...” His breath hitched, and he bit his lip to stop another round of tears from falling.

“I get it,” Virgil said quietly. “Just...let me know if you change your mind, okay? You don’t have to do this alone.” 

“Thank you,” Patton said, giving Virgil a shaky smile. 

Virgil smiled back, then with a quick two-fingered salute, he turned and headed back towards the barn. Patton watched him go, then turned back towards the house and took a deep breath. He picked up his axe by the handle and headed inside, paying no mind to the pile of dirty dishes left on the kitchen table. He’d clean them up later...if he could be bothered to.

Patton hesitated when he reached the door to Morgan’s room. He knew that putting off going in wouldn’t do any good, but a part of him wanted to believe that if he just didn’t open the door, then the inevitability behind it would cease to exist. That if he turned around, Morgan would be standing in the hallway, chiding him for worrying so much about her. 

“I’m the older sister,” she would say. “I’m supposed to worry about you, not the other way around!”

Patton swallowed the lump in his throat and knocked quietly on her door. 

“Morgan?” he called, his voice barely audible even to himself. 

“I’m here, Patton,” she called back, and Patton unlocked the door as quietly as he could. 

“How’re you doing?” he asked. 

“Patton…”

“D-do you need anything?” Patton asked, his voice shaking. “Water maybe, or, or more pillows, or–” 

_“Patton–”_

“I, I made scrambled eggs, you should try to eat some eggs, you haven’t eaten anything and scrambled eggs are your fav–” 

She took his hand, her grip weak but determined, and Patton sank to his knees beside her bed. 

“I’m sorry,” he choked out. “I’m so sorry, Morgan, I-I don’t know what to do anymore.” 

“Hey, hey,” she soothed, running her thumb over his hand. “It’s okay.” 

“It isn’t,” Patton said bitterly. “Nothing about this is okay.” 

Morgan sighed and looked out the window toward the garden. 

“You’re right,” she agreed. “It isn’t okay. But...but I think _you_ will be. Eventually.” 

“How can you _say_ that?” Patton asked, staring at Morgan incredulously, and she smiled sadly. 

“You’re the strongest person I know, Patton. You’ve worked hard every single day, and no matter what we’ve been through, you’ve stayed positive. You’re so brave, and I know that...that you’re going to be okay.”

“Morgan,” Patton whispered. “I...I don’t know. I don’t know if I can do it, without you. Without all of you.” 

“You’re going to have to, baby brother,” Morgan said. “Just...promise me something, okay?” 

“Anything,” Patton said immediately. 

“Don’t lose sight of that spark of yours, okay? No matter what happens, whatever this world throws at you next, don’t let it turn you cruel and heartless. Your kindness and your faith in people is just as much a part of your strength as your bravery...you hang on to that for me, got it?” 

“I will,” Patton said, bringing her hand up to kiss her palm. “I promise.” 

Morgan relaxed visibly, and she gave him a tired smile. 

“Good. Last thing I wanna be worried about right at the end is whether or not my baby brother’s going to be okay.” 

“I’m hardly a baby anymore,” Patton said, nudging her, and she laughed. 

“It doesn’t matter, you’re the youngest, so you’re the baby brother for life. Those are the rules, can’t do anything about them now.” 

“Not fair!” 

“Tough luck!” 

The pair continued to banter, and for a moment Patton could almost pretend that everything was normal, and that Morgan just had a particularly nasty cold. But he couldn’t pretend forever, and the longer he sat in her room the more the reality sank in. 

“Can I get you anything?” he asked softly, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over the two of them. 

“Maybe...could you maybe open the window?” Morgan asked, and Patton was on his feet in an instant, opening the window wide and letting the breeze blow into the room. 

Patton took Morgan’s hand again and she let out a soft sigh. For a time, the only sounds in the room were Morgan’s slightly laboured breaths and the occasional chirp of a bird from outside. After what felt like an eternity, but could have only been fifteen minutes, Patton wasn’t sure, Morgan spoke again. 

“I’m scared, Patton.” 

Her voice was so small, so timid. Not at all like what Patton was used to hearing, and that, more than anything, made him want to curl into a ball and hide from the world. But instead, he stroked her hair gently and whispered, 

“I am too, Morgan.” 

“Will you stay with me?” 

Tears welled up in Patton’s eyes, and he nodded, pressing a kiss to her forehead. 

“Of course I will.” 

* * *

“I just don’t see why we have to wait. We’ve gotten what we need from the barn, so let’s scavenge from the house now so we can get back to Eden before nightfall.” 

“Patton said we couldn’t take what was in the house until after his sister was gone.” 

“So what? There’s one of him and four of us–” 

“Five, I’m here too, you know.”

“Whatever, kid. There’s _five_ of us, my point is, we outnumber him! Why are we just listening to him, no questions asked?” 

“This is still technically his home, Wade, we can’t just–” 

“It’s the fucking apocalypse, Lauren, why the hell does that matter now? Is legal ownership even a thing anymore?” 

_“Don’t_. Swear. In front of my brother. And besides, can’t you see that the guy’s been through hell? Cut him some slack.”

“We’ve all been through hell, Sanders, that doesn’t make him special.” 

“‘Scuse me.” 

The sun was low in the sky when Patton stepped into the barn, interrupting the group of scavengers’ conversation. They looked up, surprise at being overheard written on their faces, but Patton ignored them. He stepped past where they were sitting in a circle and grabbed a shovel that was leaning against the wall. 

“I need this.” 

Everyone exchanged uncomfortable looks with each other as Patton hoisted the shovel over his shoulder and turned to leave. 

“So...the house?” Wade asked, and Patton stopped walking. 

The air was thick with tension; Patton was certain several people were holding their breath, and he closed his eyes, breathing out through his nose. 

“The house is yours,” he said, his voice clipped. “Take whatever you want, I don’t care.” 

He started walking back towards the garden, but before he'd made it twenty feet, a screech echoed across the field. 

“We’ve got ourselves a horde, bitches!” 

Remus came sprinting into view, a manic grin on his face. His machete drawn and as he came closer, Patton saw that fresh blood stains splattered his clothes. 

And there were about twenty terminals lagging after him. 

“Patton, get down!” Lauren ordered from behind him, and Patton dropped to a crouch. 

A gunshot echoed from behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to see Wade on his feet with his shotgun braced against his shoulder, his expression a mask of cool determination. He fired another shot, and Remus gave a cheer. 

“Headshot! One down, a fuckton more to go!” 

“Remus!” Virgil hissed, placing a hand on Thomas’s shoulder and stepping in front of him protectively. 

“Sorry Virgey!” Remus chirped in a tone that did not sound sorry at all. 

“Reloading!” Wade called, and as he lowered his shotgun Lauren raised up a rifle that she’d been wearing strapped to her back. 

More gunfire echoed in Patton’s ears, and a few more terminals fell, but there were still far too many coming towards them. 

“Options!” Lauren called. 

“There’s nowhere to run to, but too many to fight head on,” Virgil said. “And we haven’t found any new ammo this trip, so we’re limited.” 

“I have my arrows!” Thomas piped up, and Virgil squeezed his shoulder. 

“Only if you have to, buddy, let us take care of it.” 

“Thin the herd from here, then spread out and pick the rest off in smaller groups,” Wade said, and Remus clapped his hands. 

“Sounds like a plan, Stan!” 

Wade glared at him, but lifted his gun to his shoulder again and focused back on the still advancing horde of terminals. Shots rang out, bodies fell, and the crowd still inched forward. 

“Spread out!” Lauren called, her voice sounding strange to Patton’s ringing ears. 

Remus was quick to oblige; he darted out past the horde then let out a wild cry, attracting several of the creatures’ attention. They began ambling towards him, but before they all turned around, Lauren darted the other way. Her gun was slung back over her shoulder and she had a large knife in her hand, and she let out a scream of her own, drawing a few of the terminals in her direction. 

They were getting confused now, turning back and forth between the two sources of sound, and Remus used that to his advantage to dash at the few heading towards him, hacking wildly with his machete. 

“Wade!” Virgil called, and he tossed the man a baseball bat, which Wade traded happily for his shotgun. 

“Get the kid to pick off the ones still confused in the middle,” he ordered, before running in yet another direction, hollering to catch the creatures attention. 

Virgil glared at him, but turned to Thomas and muttered something Patton couldn’t hear. The boy nodded seriously, then pulled out his bow and notched an arrow carefully. He aimed for a moment, then the arrow flew loose and struck a zombie in the leg, causing it to stumble. 

Patton had to admit, watching the group fight was impressive. Despite their earlier bickering, it was clear they had done this many times before. In fact, Patton was so distracted that he didn’t notice that one of the terminals was getting closer until it was nearly right on top of him.

“Patton!” Virgil cried out in warning, and he raised the shotgun up.

Patton moved without thinking, springing to his feet and swinging his shovel around like a bat. He hit the terminal square in the face and partially dislocated its jaw, causing it to stumble backwards. It groaned and tried to move towards Patton again, but Patton wound the shovel back and swung it hard with a cry, hitting it in the exact same place. 

The creature dropped to the ground, and Patton flipped the shovel so that its blade was pointed downward, driving it into the creature’s neck and effectively severing its head from its body. He pulled the shovel free, then looked up to see more terminals coming towards him, attracted to the sound of shovel blade connecting with bone, or maybe just Patton’s own defiant shout, but specifics didn’t really matter. He gripped the rough wooden handle tighter, and as a scream bubbled up from deep inside of him, he ran forward and raised the shovel over his head. 

The first time he’d killed a terminal he’d been so scared. The creature was so much more horrifying in person than on the news, with its rotting flesh and soulless eyes, yet killing it had still hurt. It had once been human, after all...not an “it,” but a “he” or a “she” or a “they,” and Patton had cried for hours in his older sister’s arms after that first attack on their farm. And while he’d gotten more used to dealing with the creatures in the past three years, he’d always had to push past his hesitation when it came to killing them. 

But now, all Patton could think about was the panic in his parents’ voices on their last voicemail to him, the way his brother’s eyes had rolled back into his head the day he turned, and Morgan’s hand finally going limp in his own. 

He swung the shovel, over and over and over again, holding nothing back. Bones crunched, blood splattered, and he kept on swinging. Someone was screaming, Patton thought it might even be himself, but he didn’t care. He swung the tool again; it was what he lived for at this point. There was nothing but the swing of the shovel and the crack of metal meeting bone and the thud of terminals hitting the ground. 

A voice called his name, but it sounded far away and out of focus, as though he were underwater. A face appeared in his vision and he swung again, but this time the face dodged out of the way, reappearing a moment later. Patton wasn’t used to an opponent that could move so quickly, and before he knew it, his shovel was gone and he'd been wrestled to the ground. 

“Patton!” the voice said again. “Patton, they’re gone! You can stop!” 

Patton kicked and struggled, letting out an angry cry, but his attacker sat on his thighs and grabbed his wrists, holding them down.

“I know,” he said, and Patton realized it was Remus who had pinned him down. 

He blinked tears out of his eyes (when had he started crying?) and tried again to twist out of the grip, but Remus grabbed Patton’s shoulder and shook him, staring intently into Patton’s eyes. 

“Trust me,” Remus said, his voice more earnest than Patton had heard all day. “I know. But you have to stop now. Let it go...that’s it…” He smiled as the tension began to drain out of Patton’s shoulders. “Just let it go.” 

Slowly, Patton began to calm down; the rage and grief that had filled him only moments before slowly drained away, leaving him feeling hollow, and as he finally stilled, Remus rolled back and let him sit up. 

“I get it, I really do,” he said again, getting to his feet and pulling Patton up behind him. “You gotta let it all out, I feel ya. But you can’t lose yourself like that...you gotta be able to pull yourself out outta that frenzy, or you’re gonna have regrets.” 

“Patton?” 

Patton turned to see Virgil approaching, Thomas following carefully behind. Looking around, he finally realized that the horde was in fact defeated; between the five adults and the occasional landed arrow from Thomas, the terminals had all fallen.

“Are you okay?” Virgil asked. 

“I...I will be, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to lose control like that, it’s never happened to me before, I–” 

“I didn’t just mean about the terminals, Patton,” Virgil said gently, and Patton looked down. 

“I don’t know,” he admitted in a whisper. “I...I don’t really know...what to do, now that...” he trailed off, and Virgil exchanged glances with Remus.

“Well,” Virgil said slowly. “I don’t wanna assume anything...and I know this is your family farm and all, but if you wanted to...you could come to Eden with us?” 

“Go with you?” Patton asked, frowning. “Is that, I mean, can you even offer something like that? What if Lauren–”

“Lauren’s the point on this expedition but she’s not our leader,” Remus piped up. “Dee is in charge of the whole operation, and if Virgey and I here say you’re good, you’re good.” 

“Only if you want to though,” Virgil added quickly. “I’d understand if you want to stay here, I just thought...maybe you’d like to, you know. Not be alone?” 

“I…” Patton looked back at the farmhouse, at the garden and the chicken yard and the barn, then back at Virgil. “I think that I would like that.” 

“Really?” Virgil asked. “Because I really do get it if you want to stay–”

“Really,” Patton said firmly. “There’s nothing left for me here now, only memories...memories that I don’t know if I could face alone.”

“I get it,” Virgil said, and somehow Patton knew that he wasn’t just saying that...Virgil really did understand how he was feeling right now, even if he couldn’t even properly articulate it himself. 

“Can...I just do one thing before we go?” he asked. 

He picked up his shovel again, and Virgil nodded silently.   
  
“Do you want any help?

Patton opened his mouth to say no, thank you, but he could take care of this himself, but then he stopped, his sister’s words echoing in his mind. 

_“Your kindness and your faith in people is just as much a part of your strength as your bravery...you hang on to that for me, got it?”_

“Yeah,” he said, letting Virgil take the shovel from him. “I think I do.” 


	3. Into the Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton leaves his old home behind him, and prepares to step into an uncertain future.

Patton took one last look behind him. From his current vantage point he could just make out the familiar outline of his barn in the distance. Once they entered the woods though, that was it. He'd likely never see the farm again. **  
**

"Best keep up the pace if you don't wanna get left behind," Wade's voice called from deeper into the woods. 

"No one's getting left behind," Virgil said with a sigh, and Wade made a grumbling sound, adjusting his grip on the chicken carrier he and Virgil were hauling between them. The birds inside squawked at the disturbance, and Thomas made a shushing sound at them as he walked behind Virgil. 

Patton himself had a hiker's bag he'd found in the basement on his back, packed as tightly as he could manage with all the essentials he had, along with a few sentimental items that he hadn't been able to bear parting with. Wade had shown distaste at the idea, but Virgil had assured him that there'd be room for a few personal effects where they were going. 

"Chin up!" Remus said cheerfully, coming up behind Patton and breaking him out of his thoughts. "You're gonna fit in great at Eden! Most of the folks are quite pleasant, Mr. Sourpuss there is the exception, not the rule." 

"What sort of place is Eden, anyway?" Patton asked. "I mean, the name isn't exactly subtle, so I can guess..." 

"Well, to call it a paradise is a bit of hyperbole," Remus conceded. "But it's about as much of a haven as you could hope to have in the apocalypse. Dee and I found it a few years back; it's an old summer sleepaway camp that we sorta set up base in. It's not much, but at this point, it's home!"

"That sounds nice," Patton said quietly, his hand circling into a fist at his side as he kept walking. 

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his hand, and he looked down to see Thomas looking up at him with wide eyes. 

"Can I hold your hand?" he asked simply, and Patton found himself smiling. 

"Sure, kiddo," he said, and allowed Thomas to nestle his small hand into Patton's grip. Patton felt emotion well up inside him, and he blinked rapidly to stop any tears from forming in his eyes. 

"So, Thomas," he said casually. "You're a pretty good shot with that bow of yours." 

Thomas immediately brightened, and Patton heard Remus chuckle softly behind them. 

"Thanks! Dee's been teaching me, I'm not as good as him yet, but I'm getting there! I _told_ Virgil that I was good enough to bring it on a raid, I _told_ him!" 

"He doesn't like you coming along?" Patton asked, and Thomas shrugged. 

"It's not that...I mean, I don't think he likes it, but he likes leaving me alone even less, so I come whenever he does. But just 'cause I'm younger doesn't mean I can't help! If I'm gonna be here, I might as well be useful!" 

"Well, you were _very_ useful at the farm," Patton said, and Thomas beamed. 

"Thank you!" 

The party continued on, sometimes making small talk, sometimes walking in silence, and the sun was hanging low in the sky by the time that Lauren raised up a hand, signaling the group to come to a halt. 

"We're here!" she called. 

Patton peered around the group, and saw what looked like a makeshift wall made of branches and scrap metal stretching out between the trees. He saw two figures silhouetted by the setting sun’s rays, and judging by how Lauren spoke to them, he figured they were on lookout duty. The little party went on through an opening in the wall, and followed the trail to where the campgrounds began proper.

It was reminiscent of the 4H camp Patton had gone to as a child, just with fewer animal pens. There were a few buildings scattered naturally into the woods that he supposed were cabins, with one slightly larger than the others that he guessed had once belonged to the camp director. They kept walking through the little group of cabins, past a few decrepit basketball courts and what Patton thought was an empty field at first before he realized it was a swimming pool that had long since overgrown. They passed all of this and approached the camp’s main lodge: a large, two story building with wide double windows at the front. There were a few other people milling around, some of them carrying supplies, some just talking, and a few casting curious glances Patton’s way. 

“How many people live here?” he asked, trying not to stare at what was easily the largest group of living people he’d seen since the outbreak had started. 

“Including us? Around thirty,” Virgil said.

“It feels more like a hundred,” Patton replied, looking around at the bustle of activity.

Lauren smiled kindly. “I guess it would, to you,” she said. “You’ve been isolated on that farm for so long.”

“Spare us the sob story,” Wade said as he and Virgil placed the chicken carrier down. “We’ve all got problems.”

“Some more than others,” Lauren muttered and Wade glared at her. 

“Come on! Let’s go and find Dee!” Thomas said stopping any further arguments from ensuring. 

He let go of Patton’s hand and pulled open the door to the lodge before disappearing inside. The others trailed in after him, Patton falling behind the rest of the group; he was quite nervous if he was being honest with himself. No matter what Remus or Virgil had said, the decision of Patton staying at Eden was ultimately up to Dee.

There was a guy in a tattered checkered shirt and glasses sitting in the lobby, with dyed hair that had long since lost its vibrancy poking out from underneath a backwards baseball cap. He rose once he saw the group come in, and Lauren's pace quickened. She wrapped the petite figure in a hug as soon as she reached him, and Patton heard him grumble something, but he leaned into the hug anyway. 

"Her brother?" he asked quietly, and Virgil shook his head.

"Her partner, actually. He has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, so he can't go out on raids with us. First thing Lauren does everytime she comes back is tell him she's okay."

“Oh,” Patton said. “That must be pretty hard on them.”

“They manage,” Virgil shrugged.

After a short whispered conversation, Lauren turned back to face Patton. “This is Kai,” she told him. “Kai, this is Patton.”

“Hi there,” Patton said as cheerfully as he could muster.

Kai nodded at him. “Another person?” he muttered to Lauren. “You think Dee will allow that?” 

“Only one way to find out,” Lauren said. “Where is he anyway?”

“Main hall,” Kai replied, lowering himself back down on the chair. “I’ll wait for you here.”

“Okay.” Lauren kissed him on the forehead and the group continued forward. 

As they walked deeper into the lodge, Virgil explained the building’s many purposes to Patton. There was a kitchen where they cooked and ate their food, they had turned the camp nurses office into an infirmary, a few extra rooms had become storage areas, and finally there was the main hall. 

The main hall was the true heart of Eden, according to Virgil. It was where the residents held meetings, played old board games they had found or just hung out and spent time together. As they walked in, Patton could see a few groups of people scattered around the room, talking quietly amongst themselves. 

“DeeDee!” Remus shouted suddenly, and he sprinted towards one of the clusters of people. 

A man in an old cargo jacket and beanie started to turn around, but he didn’t get very far before Remus had leapt onto his back. 

After hearing the others talk about him, Patton had been pretty nervous to meet Dee, but seeing him allow Remus to ride around on his back like some kind of pet monkey made Patton second guess his worries. 

Lauren must have known what Patton was thinking because she giggled and said, 

“Trust me, Remus is the only person in this entire place who can get away with treating Dee like that.”

“Hi DeeDee!” Remus squealed. “Did you miss me?”

“Not in the slightest.” The other man, Dee, replied dryly. “I was actually rather enjoying the solitude.”

“Aww, I missed you too!” Remus said, giving Dee a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

“Remus, you are a menace.” 

“I love it when you talk dirty to me.” Remus cooed.

“Get off!” Dee snapped.

Remus pouted, but then he slid to the ground with a grin, and Dee turned to face the group. 

“How’d it go?” he asked, and one eyebrow quirked upwards as his eyes fell on Patton. “I take that it was an...eventful trip.” 

“This is Patton,” Lauren said. “Patton this is Dee.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Patton said, smiling as best he could. 

Dee opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Thomas rushed forward and threw his arms around Dee’s legs. 

“Dee!” Thomas cried. “Guess what?” 

“What?” Dee asked, his expression softening as he returned the hug. 

“I shot my bow in a real, actual fight, and I hit a terminal more than once!” 

“Oh, wow, you did? That’s great, Thomas!”

“I know! Patton said I was really useful!” 

“Did he?” Dee asked, looking up with Patton with an unreadable expression before looking back down to Thomas. “Tell me something, little man, what do you think of Patton?” 

“I like him!” Thomas said immediately. “He’s super nice, and he let me pet his chickens which are super fluffy, and he makes really good omelettes!” 

“Is that so?” Dee said, amusement clear in his voice, and Thomas nodded. 

“Uh huh! And he’s sad right now, which Virgil says is because he just lost his family, so I know how he feels. Maybe I could show him things that help me feel better when I’m sad about mom.” 

Patton blinked back the sudden tears he found threatening to well up in his eyes as Dee looked up at him again. 

“Maybe you could do that, Thomas. I’m sure Patton would like that very much.” 

Patton nodded dumbly, and Dee flashed him a grin. 

“Well then Patton, welcome to Eden.” 

* * *

Patton woke up to sunlight shining directly in his eyes and he let out a quiet groan, raising a hand to shield his face. Why had he left the curtains open? He always went to sleep with them closed-

“Time for archery!” said a cheerful voice. 

Memories of the day before flooded his mind, and he groaned again, sitting up. 

“Thomas! Quietly! We’re sharing this room now,” Virgil said, shooting Patton an apologetic glance. 

“It’s fine,” Patton mumbled around a yawn. 

It had been late when they’d reached Eden last night, so he’d quickly been assigned a cabin where he would stay with around five other people, including Thomas and Virgil, to Thomas’s delight. There hadn’t been much unpacking to be done in the small space, and Patton had quickly realized that for the foreseeable future, he’d be more or less living out of his bag. 

Still, for a shelter during the apocalypse, it could be much worse. The cabin had two bedrooms with a bathroom between them, so even though there were five others staying there, it didn’t feel too crowded. 

He’d fallen asleep the moment his head had hit the pillow. 

Thomas waved sheepishly at Patton before hurrying out the door with his bow strapped to his back. Virgil moved to follow, but paused for a moment, looking back to Patton. 

“Take as long as you need to get settled in,” he said. “If you have any questions, you can ask pretty much anybody.” 

“Thank you,” Patton said with a smile. 

Virgil nodded in acknowledgement, then followed Thomas out of the cabin, leaving Patton alone. 

Patton realized very quickly that he didn’t like being alone. 

He should have been used to it, after all, he’d spent years in isolation back on his family’s farm. But that was different; even though there’d been no contact with the outside world, he’d still had his family. Even the last week or so when Morgan had been...unwell, she’d still _been_ there. He’d never truly been alone. 

Patton was outside before he fully realized what he was doing, wandering a little aimlessly through the campgrounds. A few people glanced at him as he went past, but most seemed busy working and Patton didn’t want to disturb them. 

A flash of light caught his eye, and he turned to see the morning sunlight glinting off the surface of a lake a few yards away. He spotted a few archery targets on the bank as well, and he turned and headed in that direction, hoping that Virgil would be there...and hoping that if he was, he wouldn’t find it weird that Patton had trailed after him like a lost puppy. 

As Patton approached the lake, the first person he saw wasn’t Virgil at all, but Dee. He was sitting on an old log bench with his back to the rest of the camp, and as Patton came closer he saw Thomas standing nearby with his bow drawn. Virgil was sitting on the bank a few yards away, throwing stones into the water and glancing in Thomas’s direction every so often. 

“Mind if I join you?” Patton asked him, fiddling with the sleeves of his jacket. 

“Be my guest,” Virgil replied, and Patton sat down next to him, looking out across the water. 

Patton was quiet for a moment, unsure if conversation was welcome, but Virgil broke the silence for him.

“You get settled in okay?” he asked, tossing another stone into the water and glancing at Patton. 

“Yeah...I didn’t have much to settle, really,” Patton admitted. 

“If you’re not comfortable with anything, just let us know,” Virgil said. “We can figure something out.” 

“It’s quite comfortable, thank you,” Patton said with a smile. 

“Okay…” Virgil said, giving him a look. “So what’s wrong then?” 

“Huh?” 

“Sorry if that’s weird, I mean, you don’t have to tell me, obviously,” Virgil said quickly. “It’s just...well, it seems like something’s bothering you.” 

Patton stared at him for a moment, then chuckled. 

“Welp, you’re observant, aren't you kiddo?” 

Virgil shrugged.

“Kinda have to be. I’m raising an eleven year old by myself over here; I’d be doing a pretty piss-poor job of it if I couldn’t read people properly.” 

“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Patton said, gazing back out across the lake.

“So is there?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Something bothering you,” Virgil said, and Patton sighed. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “I think...I think I’ve just been running on nerves and grief and adrenaline for the past few days, and now I don’t really know what to do with myself.” 

“I get that,” Virgil said, picking up another stone and turning it over in his hands. “I felt the same way when Dee and Remus brought me here. I’d been pushing so hard to survive and to be there for Thomas, and then we were here and suddenly everything just...froze. Everything almost hurt more then than it did right when Mom died.” 

Virgil turned to Patton and offered him a small smile. 

“But it _does_ get better eventually,” he said. “They’ll give you a few jobs to do later today, and you’ll meet the others, and before you know it things will start to feel almost normal.” 

Patton nodded slowly. 

“That makes sense, I guess. It was sort of the same on the farm, too...things weren’t _normal_ normal, but they were a new normal. I guess this is just the adjustment into _another_ new normal.” 

“I’m not gonna pretend there won’t be growing pains,” Virgil agreed. “But it hopefully won't hurt forever.”

He chucked the stone in his hands as far as he could, and it fell into the water with a loud _*plop!*_ Patton looked down at the bank and selected a stone of his own, leaning back and sending it flying with a flick of his wrist. The stone skipped five times over the surface of the water before it sank, and Virgil let out a low whistle. 

“Nice. I can barely manage one skip.” 

“My older brother taught me,” Patton said. “My dad was the best at it though, we used to have contests on our pond and he’d beat us every time.” 

He flicked another stone, and it skipped four times before sinking out of sight. 

“Whoa, that was so cool!” a voice exclaimed, and Patton looked up to see Thomas coming towards them, with Dee trailing behind. “Do that again!” 

Patton smiled, and selected another stone. Thomas watched in awe as he skipped it across the water. 

“How do you do that?” he asked. 

“Lots of practice,” Patton shrugged. 

“Can you teach me?” 

Patton blinked, then a smile slowly spread across his face. 

“I’d love to, Kiddo.” 

He patted the ground next to him and Thomas sat down, listening with rapt attention as Patton began to explain how to pick the best skipping stones. He glanced up at Virgil and Dee, who were wearing similar, fond expressions, and he smiled back at them. 

Remus had been right...Eden may not be a paradise. But Patton was beginning to see how it could be a home. 


End file.
